Every Full Moon
by FairytalesOfForever
Summary: Remus Lupin's pupils narrowed and he rolled on the floor, at war with himself but still just a tiny part human. And that tiny part would not hurt the animals there, the Animagi that were his best friends. That tiny part would not let the werewolf he'd become lay a claw on them. So, it clawed itself instead. One-shot.


**Hallo all of my fanfic friends! I'm now trying my hand at a Harry Potter fic. I love writing about the Maurader era, so that is what most of my Potter-fics will be. This is pretty much a story about one of the boys' earlier full moons (James and Sirius discovered Remus' secret in their second year, although they didn't become Animagi until their fifth, it's on Pottermore, and thank you Silver Stars). I wrote this down in my songwriting notebook and all my sister had to say was "It's good". I want some real feedback, and what better way to get it than to release my work to the entire internet?** **😊 Enjoy!**

" _Lumos_ ", James Potter whispered, and knelt down on his knees in the darkness. He set the now lit wand between the teeth of its rightful owner, currently a plump rat. "Go. Scout ahead and signal us if it's all clear." With a glance behind him, the fifteen-year-old boy added, "And hurry!"

"Shh, quiet, come on, now focus on not going full on till we get there." That was the voice of James' best friend and fellow Gryffindor, Sirius Black. Holding up his own lit wand, he brushed long, uneven hair away from his face as he led a third boy forward. This one was tall, and pale, with fair, limp hair and tired eyes underlined by dark rings. Scars, faint but still visible, slashed through them and across his arms. He was trembling, and he kept clenching his hands like claws. His pupils seemed to shudder, as though fighting not to narrow. "Hurry", Remus Lupin whispered in a hoarse voice.

"There's Wormtail's signal", James assured him softly. "Let's go."  
A fourth boy now ran up to join them, this one short and pudgy with floppy blond hair, small, watery eyes, and buck teeth that rested on top of his lower lip. He held the same wand that the rat had grasped between its teeth. Together the four fifth-year boys traveled along the path that was bathed in moonlight, one fighting an inward struggle while the others tried to move at a brisk pace before it was too late.

Finally, they reached a giant willow tree whose branches thrashed violently, thought there was no wind. James touched a knob on the trunk with a long branch, and the tree was suddenly still. An act that clearly, for him, took a lot of bravery, Peter Pettigrew, the buck toothed boy, took the tired one's hand and led him into a tunnel beneath the tree's roots. As soon as they were underground, Sirius stopped abruptly.

The others watched as his fingers shrunk, his ears migrated to the top of his head, his face lengthened, and black fur sprouted all over his body. "If only it were that easy for me", Remus murmured longingly. The huge black dog scooped him up and set him on its back, and they continued down the tunnel. Finally, it opened into a small room with an old cot and a beat-up couch inside.

Remus slid off Sirius-the-dog's back and crumpled to the floor. The dog watched as James' feet split into hooves, his body bent and shortened, and antlers sprouted from his head. The stag stood next to the dog and noticed the plump little rat perched on top of the couch where Peter had been only moments before.

On the packed-earth floor, Remus writhed and wrapped his arms across his chest, rapidly sharpening nails drawing bloody gashes down his arms and across his back, for he refused to hurt his friends. He cried out in agony as his bones stretched, clawing at his skin as it prickled and turned gray with fur. His pupils narrowed and he rolled on the floor, at war with himself but still just a tiny part human. And that tiny part would not hurt the animals there, the Animagi that were his best friends. That tiny part would not let the werewolf he'd become lay a claw on them. So, it clawed itself instead.

The giant black dog pressed gown on the werewolf with its massive paws, earning scrapes across them but not moving. James-the-stag put his antlers over the creature like a cage, while Peter-the-rat nipped at its stubby tail in order to distract it. The werewolf's limbs trembled, as if fighting some inner battle, and it stood up, shaking its head side to side. It snapped at the animals, but they dodged out of the way. The werewolf shook its head as if trying to fend off an annoying fly, unable to concentrate or become truly wild. It swatted at the rat, tossing it against the wall; the tiny creature stumbled and staggered to its paws. The werewolf paused and whimpered, unable to work against the tiny sliver of Remus Lupin's will inside of it. His heart was still there, somewhere, and though it tried to attack the animals it was pulled back, like an unruly horse being restrained by strong reins.

Padfoot stepped to the wolf's side, pressing himself against it. The werewolf turned its head as if to snap at him, but pulled it back. The dog whined softly, pressing the creature up against the wall. It fought him, and the stag cantered over to help. Prongs ran around to the other side of the animal, and together he and the dog kept it from hurting itself. Finally, seemingly tired out, the werewolf laid down between them, whimpering softly. The dog whined in reply. They lay there for who knew how long, hours maybe, before noticing that the wolf's eyes were closed. "He's asleep", the rat squeaked, forgetting that the others couldn't understand it. By this time, Wormtail had nestled itself between the dog's paws, nudging the werewolf with its nose. Finally, the fur against James-the deer's side began to fade, the ears shrank and diminished, and Peter, Sirius and James laid his discarded robes over their rapidly detransforming friend.

"He hasn't hurt himself badly this time", remarked the now human James as he pushed his glasses back into place. Sirius picked up their friend, bleeding on his sides but wrapped in his robes like a blanket. Together, the three friends ascended the tunnel, while one carried the fourth in his arms. They followed Peter's wandlight up as close to the castle as they could come, where James and Sirius helped Remus to stand. "Can you walk, Moony?", Sirius whispered.

"Y-yes, I think so."  
The tall, thin boy smiled weakly, then began to walk towards the east door where Madam Pomfrey always waited for him. James and Sirius disappeared to one of their secret entrances, while Peter, in rat form, scurried alongside Remus until they got to the door. He scrambled up a tree as soon as he heard the nurse's clucking. "Well, this has been one of your better months? Hmm, well, I have some bandages and a salve for the scratches.." Her voice faded as she hustled her charge inside. Peter crawled into the dormitory through a window, and reverted to human form once in bed.

Meanwhile, James and Sirius had their ears pressed against the walls of the hallway, listening to Madam Pomfrey fuss. As her voice faded, they grinned at each other and hurried down the dark hallway. For many paces, all was silent with only the faint glow of James' wand. "We'll be able to do _Lumos_ nonverbally by our seventh year at this rate", Sirius commented in a whisper.  
"If it's possible. Then again, when have we ever cared whether something's impossible or not?", James pointed out.  
"Excellent point, my friend", Sirius replied, then they continued on in silence.

After a few more minutes, James' wandlight revealed a trapdoor over their heads. The boys helped each other through, then raced through the sleeping hallways of Hogwarts. "Filch!", Sirius hissed. The two best friends flattened themselves against a wall, hardly daring to breathe. After what seemed like hours, the shuffling footsteps faded, and the boys made their way up to Gryffindor tower. "Knotgrass", whispered James, and the Fat Lady (with much grumbling) swung open to let them in.  
Snug in their dormitory, James opened his curtains and watched the sun peeking over the eastern horizon. He looked over at his friend. "What an adventure!", he remarked. Sirius laughed. "And to think that we do it every full moon!"


End file.
